Chapter 9 - Chips Are Down (CitC)
The Clubbas approached on either side. Mazette's grin was getting wider and wider. The other battlers had various expressions as the time for decision making drew close. Some, like Tubba, showed the desire to not quit and fight. Take as many down as possible. Others, like Gonzales, looked just as ready to quit and give in to Mazette's demands. Leaving their things on the ground, the battlers exchanged uncomfortable glances. Tubba leapt forward, Aaron and Xavier at his heels. He was glad the two of them decided to come with him. Holding his club behind his head like a baseball bat, he was bracing to swing at the first Clubba when a cry rose up. "No!" As if it was a command, both the Clubba in front of him and the ones closing in on the battlers halted. Up on his feet was Clubbar, his eyes sparking with fury, but his voice calm. Tubba realized that many of the Clubbas in front of him still regarded Clubbar as their Commander. Clubbar leapt in front of Tubba and the rest of the battlers, his club braced. "Think about this, my friends." Clubbar said. It was a request, not an order. "Are you really going to attack this group of battlers because your Queen," Clubbar glared in Mazette's direction, "wants them out of the way? This isn't helping defend the Kingdom." "Don't listen to him!" Mazette cried, her hair flying everywhere. Looking quite deranged, she roared, "I'll have the first Clubba who falters flogged! I AM YOUR QUEEN!" "A pretty shitty one at that." Xavier quietly remarked from behind Tubba, so only Tubba and Aaron could hear him. But as Mazette finished speaking, the Clubbas who looked indecisive began moving forward, none of them wishing to be flogged. Clubbar backed up next to the battlers, so that he was shoulder to shoulder with Tubba. "Valiant effort," Tubba remarked to his longtime advisor as the Clubbas closed in. Bracing his club like a baseball bat again, Tubba knew that he would take down as many Clubbas as possible. He would die in the attempt, but at least he knew Mazette wouldn't have as strong an army. And yet... the Clubba Kingdom was the Kingdom Tubba grew up in. A bad monarch didn't make a bad Kingdom. Going down, killing innocent Clubbas and letting Mazette build a Kingdom, and quite possibly, due to her incompetence, make the Kingdom fall... The sound of more feet thumping against the soil interrupted Tubba's train of thought. Once again, the Clubbas halted. There was now less than a club's distance between them. If Tubba wanted to, he could deliver a vicious blow to the head of the nearest Clubba. But judging by the way the Clubbas were now looking to the front of the castle, the battlers were now the least of their concern. Peering over the large heads, Tubba saw why. Thundering up the hills of Gusty Gulch were far more Toads, Beans and Yoshis than Clubbas. The attack had begun. Mazette screamed in frustration. Stomping on the floor with one orange-scaled foot, she cried, "get them! And make sure the battlers fight for us!" Before Tubba and the rest of the battlers could do anything, the Clubbas outside the door raced turned, and raced toward the oncoming Mushroom and BeanBean Armies. The Clubbas inside pushed the battlers forward, so that they were flowing along with the Clubba Army toward the oncoming Armies. Tubba let out a cry as he stumbled, knowing that if he fell, he would be stampeded by countless Clubba feet. Grabbing him and righting him was Skeloetta, Tubba nodded at the yellow boo in thanks. All around him, battlers were assisting the other, ensuring no one would fall and get crushed. Meloetta ensured Xavier stayed on his feet, Blizzerd assisted Gonzales, Aaron held Shazam upward. Twisting to catch one last glimpse of Mazette, Tubba smirked as he realized she was staying still. Of course, he thought, trust Mazette to let the others do the dirty work. "In the confusion of battle, slip away! This isn't our fight!" Xavier shouted over the sound of feet racing each other. The front Clubbas and Toads had reached each other, the area was beginning to slip into battle, in front of the very houses the Clubba Kingdom were attempting to protect. The battlers gave Xavier various nods and murmurs of assent, preparing to slip away as soon the battle reached them. All around them, the Clubbas who were supposed to ensure they were fighting for the Clubba Kingdom got caught up with the Toads, Beans and Yoshis. Normally, Tubba would feel guilty; these were his kinsmen, and although they were under a horrible ruler, he would want to stay and fight with them. But now was a different story. He just wanted to get out of here, for all the battlers to get out of here, so that none of his friends paid for his horrible mistake of returning to the very Kingdom that hated him. Lukki screamed, "Now!" As one, the battlers scattered in different directions. Shazam and Aaron ran off through the Mushroom and BeanBean Armies, swerving in and out of confused fighters, toward Forever Forest and to the south. Lukki was carrying Parin and Darius to the north, over the houses of the Clubba Kingdom, and Clubba Castle and toward Ice Land of the Mushroom Kingdom. GB, Gonzales, Xavier and Blizzerd hared off toward the setting sun, where Grass Land of the Mushroom Kingdom lay. Conscious of Gonzales going in an opposite direction, Tubba raced after Shazam and Aaron: they were going right through the enemy, they would need some support. But before Tubba could even get to the frontlines of the battle to follow Aaron and Shazam through the Mushroom Allies and into Forever Forest, he felt himself getting bowled over by a Clubba. Hurled off to one side, Tubba rolled across the dirt, before leaping to his feet, ignoring the scratches on his scales. Standing in front of him was yet another one of his schoolmates. ''One of Bubba's cronies. Laff. ''Laff had been a yellow-scaled, orange-haired menace, always supporting Bubba. Now, he had definitely filled out and his white hair showed the most obvious change. While Laff and Tubba hardly talked back in the school days, he had always supported Bubba. When Bubba died, Laff was probably one of the ones most stricken. He had been regarded as "buff," in the old school days, but Tubba knew he could take Laff now. Laff wasn't the one spending his life in a flying sweatshop. "You caused Bubba's death!" Laff cried, swinging his club at Tubba. Tubba, noticing it was a heavy one, somersaulted out of the way. Had he tried to block that, his club would've been shattered. "You deserve to die, Tubba!" Laff again swung his club at Tubba, who dodged it again. "Funny, sounds to me Bubba's the one who is dead!" Tubba smirked, swinging his club at Laff, satisfaction prickling his scales when he tore lemon-yellow scales off Laff's body. Laff swung his club in retaliation, catching Tubba on the left side, tearing an equal amount of blood-red scales. Sparks flew from the two clubs as the two Clubbas collided, neither worrying about the secondary battle going on beside them, the one between the Clubba Kingdom and the Mushroom Allies. Laff swung wildly, missing Tubba by the proverbial mile. Furious, Laff cried, "I don't care if everyone else dies! I just want you dead!" Tubba attempted to block the ferocious swipes Laff was laying on him, but Laff fought with a fury Tubba had seen once before. When he himself killed Bubba. Taking a step back to weather the attack, Tubba felt his right heel leave the earth. Falling over, he lay on his shell as Laff stood above him, a vicious glint in his dark, cold eyes. "You're dead, Tubba!" Tubba closed his eyes. Of all the ways to die, tripping and leaving himself exposed to Laff hadn't been on his wish list. But before Laff could bring his club down with a strike on his thin neck scales, an older, greener Clubba leapt in his way. "Clubbar!" Tubba cried in shock, as the former Commander of the Armies scrapped with a Clubba forty years his junior. "Get out of here, Tubba!" Clubbar cried, swiping his club at Laff. Laff ducked under it and drilled his club into Clubbar's scales, drawing blood. "I can't leave you!" Tubba cried, indignant, rearing up to join Clubbar in his fight against Laff. Clubbar leapt over an attempt by Laff and managed to gasp out, "It doesn't do the Kingdom any good if we both die! GET OUT OF HERE!" Giving Tubba a kick with his left leg, Clubbar continued fighting with Laff. Tubba, realizing Clubbar spoke sense, made sure he had his club, and took off after Shazam and Aaron. Weaving his way through the Yoshis, Toads and Beans trying to challenge him to a battle, Tubba redoubled his efforts, his breath coming in ragged gasps, as he raced away from the Kingdom he once called home.